Another coffee with Cranfield

Another Durhamite, Nijay Gupta, also visited with Cranfield, and describes his time here.

In response to the question, "what should Pauline-scholars-in-training be reading?" Nijay reports:

Cranfield was very critical of those who eschew older academic works and prefer only literature that has been written in the last few decades. In fact, Cranfield’s list of people to read begins with the Greek fathers. He repeatedly mentioned John Chrysostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Cyril, and Thomas Aquinas. Then, Cranfield went on to praise both Calvin (Cranfield belongs to the United Reformed Church) and Barth.

Cranfield may be opinionated, but he is old enough to have earned them. His recommendation of pre-modern commentaries is certainly wise (even if I don't follow the advice often enough myself).